The Last Timesmith
by ChallengerXega
Summary: The Golden Age is upon Hyrule, and Link is enjoying his time off. But as two ancient factions resurface in a bid for dominance, Link will have to chose between two shades of gray...



    All people are heroes. It is written in the stars. Whether a person wishes to pursue that
    perilous and rewarding profession is up to that person and that person alone.
    None can make his choices for him, and the choice cannot be forced.
    But for each rule, there is an exception.
    In a land of magic, of fairies and goddesses, a boy lived peacefully, not realizing his
    destiny. A princess, an evil sorcerer,but most importantly, three golden
    triangles forced his destiny upon him, altering his perception, and hislife, forever.
    He carried out well this destiny, destroyed two unspeakable evils, and saved two worlds...
    Generations have past. The boy has grown, lived, and died.
    His descendent, likewise, was forced has been forced, by a princess, an
    evil sorceror, and three golden triangles, into destiny. He too, journeyed to a far
    off land and back again, destroyed two unspeakable evils, and saved two lands.
    Now his destiny is once again at stake. Not only his destiny, but the realm in which he
    resides in as well. For disharmony is nigh, the world is disquieted, and death's cold, black
    eyes have once again steeled their gaze on a peaceful world.
    Now a conflict will be resolved. Battles will be raged. Ancient oaths will be fulfilled.
    And there is more...far more than anyone could possibly imagine.
    **The Last Timesmith**
    Link stared into his assailant's eyes. They were blue, he noticed, like his own. The
    man carried a knife, a shuriken, and a bag of Deku nuts. Obviously, he was dressed for
    battle. His ears were not pointed, like most Hylians. For he was not a Hylian. Link knew
    this in an instant. Many would have baffled by the man, but twelve years of studying
    ancient history, of uncovering scrolls and artifacts, had served Link well. He knew the race
    of this man, and respected him all the more for it. The man was a Sheikah. Both
    combatants studied each other, carefully, planning their actions. Suddenly, a knife cut
    through the air. Link flipped up , landing on a branch of a nearby oak tree.
    "Funny..." he thought. "The tree wasn't there before..." He leapt down, landing
    gracefully on one knee and coming up gently, sword drawn and shield raised. The knife
    had embedded itself up to the hilt in the tree trunk, and stuck out like a large and painful
    sore thumb. The knife had three gems embedded in the aforementioned hilt, one a
    glittering emerald, one a scintillating ruby, and the other a sparkling sapphire. The man
    dove for the knife, but Link moved to intercept. The Sheikah fired off a chest-high kick
    that Link dodged with something greater than grace, bringing up his sword to slash the
    man's belly.
    Without warning, another shuriken blasted through the air, and struck Link's hand.
    Agonizing,burning pain shot up Link's arm, and his sword fell to the ground. Following
    the the shuriken was a well-aimed kick to his head that sent him unceremoniously to the
    ground. His head hurt, and he was slightly dizzy.
    A blade swiftly came upon him, and he rolled to the right. The knife struck dirt and
    stuck, unbalancing it's wieler. This could have been used to Link's advantage, but the
    burning pain in his hand required his direct attention. He lifted his hand to see it, and saw
    the shuriken had moved even further into his skin. Reaching over, he yanked it out, and
    unspeakable agony seared it's way up his arm. Warm, wet blood dripped from both the
    weapon and the wound, which was a fairly large gash that. The bleeding showed no sign
    of stopping. Link faced upward and slowly climbed to his feet, gritting his teeth as he
    stood.
    The Sheikah approached him, the jeweled knife in his right hand and a previously
    unseen one in his left. The man shouted something in a language Link did not know, and
    his left blade came in low, followed by a second. As the first knife neared, Link shot his
    good right arm forward in a powerful right hook that caught his assailint square in the
    face, and sent him reeling. Much to Link's utter surprise, the man had realigned himself
    impossibly fast. The last thing Link saw were both knives arcing in toward his heart...
    Link stared into his assailant's eyes. They were blue, he noticed, like his own. The
    man carried a knife, a shuriken, and a bag of Deku nuts. Obviously, he was dressed for
    battle. His ears were not pointed, like most Hylians. For he was not a Hylian. Link knew
    this in an instant. Many would have baffled by the man, but twelve years of studying
    ancient history, of uncovering scrolls and artifacts, had served Link well. He knew the race
    of this man, and respected him all the more for it. The man was a Sheikah. Both
    combatants studied each other, carefully, planning their actions. Suddenly, a knife cut
    through the air. Link flipped up , landing on a branch of a nearby oak tree.
    "Wait a second..." he thought. "This has already happened..." The logical leap
    was not a long one. Somehow, time had reversed, to the beginning of the fight. As the
    man dove for the knife, Link side-stepped and cut a sweeping arch with his sword. A long
    gash was left on the man as evidence of the slash. The man cried out in pain and clutched
    for the wound. The awkward move upset his balance and he crashed head first into the
    tree. With an easy cut, the the man's head was able to take a quick vacation and rolled on
    down to a nearby rock.
    Just as the head bumped against the rock, a beam of light shot out from the tree,
    illuminating a strange figure, wielding a pikestaff, and a strange instrument.
    Link woke up with a start in his bed. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked
    around. He was in his little wooden cabin, his friend Vlad sleeping in the next bunk, across
    the room. The moon cast an eerie glow around the cabin, and the shadows of the furniture
    added to this spooky effect. Link snatched up the lantern, lit a match, hummed a word or
    two. Some of his inborn power entered the lantern, and the glow of the light encompassed
    the whole room. He walked over to Vlad's bed, and pulled the covers off of it.
    "Vlad! Wake up!" he hissed. His friend blinked sleepily and groaned.
    "Link, for the love of Din, it's a freakin' three o' clock in the morning!" he moaned,
    tossing a look at the waterclock on the mantle.
    "I had a strange dream." Link informed him testily.
    "Oh, a strange dream. Whoopee. Oh joy. Link, you're the Hero of Hyrule. I don't
    care whether you sleep in the castle or your hut, but please, leave me out of your strange
    dreams, wherever they happen!" his overly sarcastic friend snapped.
    "Involving Sheikah." Link added. Vlad shot up. He was an archeologist, and had
    been on several expeditions to the ruins scattered about Hyrule. He harbored great interest
    toward the ancient races.
    "Tell me more..." he asked.
    


End file.
